Goya's fingerprints bring real-life touch to 'Mariano' portrait

Excerpt

The following is from an interview with Mark Roglán, director of the Meadows Museum, which appeared in the March 17, 2014, edition of The Dallas Business Journal.

March 25, 2014

By Nicholas Sakelaris
Staff Writer
Dallas Business Journal

Legendary Spanish painter Goya’s own fingerprints put the finishing touches on the painting of his grandson, Mariano Goya, nearly 200 years ago.

That very personal texture is just one of many reasons Mark Roglán, director of the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, beams with pride over the painting.

After years in a private collection, the Meadows Museum acquired it last year, making it the sixth original Goya painting in the collection. It’s one of Francisco José de Goya last known paintings before he died in 1828.

It’s years ahead of its time and shows definitively that Goya lives by his motto, “aun aprendo” or “I’m still learning.” For someone such as Goya, who dedicated his life to painting and was already considered a master, that’s truly inspiring.

“Mariano’s image possesses an ethereal quality that softens his features and hints at Goya’s deep love for his grandson,” Roglán said when SMU acquired the painting.